HG COLLECTION IN FOCUS
Join Dr. Samantha Happé every Thursday in October at 12pm for an intimate 30-minute curator’s talk on The Culture of the Copy.
Each week, a different work from the exhibition will be explored, offering insights into its history, context, and significance within the collection.
WEEK 1: 'Sea Monsters in the Square’
Thursday 2 October, 12pm, $5pp.
Discover the fantastical bronze sea creatures of the replica of Pietro Tacca’s fountain in Florence. This talk unpacks their strange iconography and explores the significance of these monsters to the city and its people.
WEEK 2: 'Inside Cranach’s Studio’
Thursday 9 October, 12pm, $5pp.
Step into the bustling world of Lucas Cranach the Elder’s workshop in Renaissance Wittenberg. Learn how his studio system produced paintings at scale while shaping the identity of a master.
WEEK 3: 'Arthur Boyd’s Narcissus'
Thursday 16 October, 12pm, $5pp.
Arthur Boyd’s Narcissus works reflect both Ovid’s ancient tale and the Shoalhaven landscape he loved. This talk explores how myth and place comes together in one of Boyd’s most enduring series.
WEEK 4: 'Global Icons in Porcelain'
Thursday 23 October, 12pm, $5pp.
Discover how Li Lihong transformed the world’s most famous logo into a blue-and-white porcelain sculpture. In this talk, McDonald’s M becomes a lens on globalisation, tradition, and cross-cultural contact.
WEEK 5: 'Being Seen by Francis Bacon'
Thursday 30 October, 12pm, $5pp.
Join us for the final talk in the Collection in Focus series, exploring Francis Bacon’s aquatint portrait of writer Michel Leiris. This session considers how Bacon’s powerful imagery both reveals and obscures identity, and the active role we play as viewers in interpreting his unsettling, enigmatic art.
Tickets available at reception on the day or via Eventbrite.
Image: Francis Bacon, Portrait Of Michael Leiris, 1978, etching, aquatint, Gift of Mrs Minya Lipkes 1984
